Silica Nanofibers with Enhanced Wettability and Mechanical Strength for Bone Tissue Engineering: Electrospinning without Polymer Carrier and Subsequent Heat Treatment

Abstract

The unique properties of silica, such as biocompatibility and the ability to promote cell growth, demonstrate favorable results in different applications such as drug delivery, biomedical applications, and tissue engineering (TE). Electrospinning has emerged as a method for creating a substrate with a high surface area and structural resemblance to natural extracellular matrices. A common method of fabricating silica nanofibers (SNFs) for TE involves hybrid silica/ polymer nanofibers, which require calcination to remove the polymer and obtain pure silica. This study aimed to use the sol-gel precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to fabricate pure SNFs through electrospinning and investigate calcination's effect on their morphology, thermal behavior, mechanical properties, wettability, and porosity. The findings indicated that the calcination process reduced Young's modulus, wettability, and porosity, which may influence the applications of SNFs in TE. Nanofibrous mats with high Young's modulus can play a crucial role in providing mechanical support for tissue repair. Additionally, high porosity and wettability can facilitate cell attachment and growth by improving nutrient and oxygen transport to the cells. This study provides valuable insights into the potential use of pure SNFs and highlighted the effects of heat treatment on their properties.